Evaluation of haemocompatibility of TLM titanium alloy with surface heparinization

A layer of TiO2 film was prepared by sol-gel method on the surface of TLM(Ti-3Zr-2Sn-3Mo-25Nb) alloy. Then the coated samples were treated by hydroxyl solution and amination solution in order to introduce the OH- and NH2- active groups, and the heparin was linked on the surface of TiO2 film through these active groups. The phase identification and the surface characteristics of the samples were successively undertaken using XRD, SEM and EDS. The in vitro blood compatibility of the TLM alloy specimens with and without heparinization treatments was evaluated by the contact angle test, the hemolysis test and investigation of their platelet adhesion behavior. The results showed that the haemocompatibility of the TLM alloy could be significantly improved by surface modification via heparinization.